Breed Introduction: Egyptian Mau

Egyptian Maus are a small- to medium-sized short-haired cat breed. Along with the Bahraini Dilmun cat, they are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. The spots of the Mau occur on only the tips of the hairs of its coat. Egyptian Mau is a moderately to highly active cat. They like to jump and climb, thus, they would appreciate a tall cat tree, a window perch or two, and a sturdy scratching post that allows him to stretch out to full height. The Mau also enjoys playing in water!

The Egyptian Mau prefers family members to anyone else. When they are not playing fetch, they enjoy sitting on human’s lap.

Breed Origin

The Egyptian Mau is notable for being the only naturally spotted domesticated cat. In other words, the spotting pattern was not created by human manipulation of feline genes. The cats were known in Europe before World War II, but the devastation of the war left the breed in a perilous state.

The breed as it is known today dates to a silver female kitten given to Russian princess Natalie Troubetskoy, when she was living in Rome. Depending on the story, the kitten was given to her by a young boy who had been keeping it in a shoebox, or she acquired one from the Egyptian ambassador to Italy.

The breed was recognized in 1968 by the Cat Fanciers Federation, followed in 1977 by the Cat Fanciers’ Association. Importation of more Maus in the 1980s, and again in 1991 increased the breed’s gene pool. Today, the breed is recognized by most cat associations.

Breed Characteristics

The Mau is a medium-size cat of 6 to 14 pounds.

The Egyptian Mau’s coat is easily cared for with weekly combing to remove dead hair and distribute skin oils.

It is a good idea to keep an Egyptian Mau as an indoor-only cat to protect him from diseases spread by other cats, attacks by dogs or coyotes, and the other dangers that face cats who go outdoors.

The Mau’s most striking characteristic is his spotted coat in silver, bronze or smoke (pale silver fur tipped in black), closely followed by his large gooseberry-green eyes.

Egyptian Mau is a medium-size cat with a muscular body and a slightly rounded wedge-shaped head topped with medium-size to large ears. =